Testimonies will be heard in an Athens court today by the
pilots of the ill-fated prime ministerial Falcon jet where
alternate Foreign Minister Yiannos Kranidiotis, his son Nikos and
five other people were killed in a freak accident last year.

Pilot Yiannis Androulakis and co-pilot Grigoris Sinekoglou
are allegedly responsible for the accident that took place in mid-
air over Bucharest on September 14, 1999.

According to the findings of an investigation, technical
failure and pilot error were the main causes of the freak accident
that occurred as the Falcon 900 executive jet, was approaching
Bucharest airport, flying at approximately 5,000 meters, when it
suddenly plunged precipitously. The pilots, who escaped unharmed,
managed to land the plane.

Beef has become a rare commodity in Attica as of lately,
following a decision drawn this week by the area's butchers'
association not to sell beef products, imported or domestic,
until European Union officials take measures aimed at protecting
consumers and not profits.

The butchers also said that the ban, which far exceeds
government action taken so far, will remain in place until the
state issues assurances that beef in Greece is fit for
consumption.

If no effective action is taken by the state, Attica's
butchers have also threatened to close their shops ten days before
Christmas.

A high-ranking executive of the Minoan Flying Dolphin (MFD)
Shipping company, which owns the Samina Express ferry that sunk in
late September, committed suicide this morning by leaping out the
window of his Piraeus port office.

Pantelis Sfinias was MFD's vice-president and executive
officer. The Samina Express ferry sank off the coast of Paros on
September 26, killing 80 people. Judicial investigations into the
disaster led to a wide-ranging set of charges and astronomical
monetary compensations awarded to survivors and victims' next of
kin.

Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis outlined Greece's role in
the Balkan region and expounded on bilateral relations between the
two countries, in an interview with the Hungarian daily
Nipszabadsag during his visit to Budapest.

Mr. Simitis stressed that Greece is committed to its policies
concerning the Balkan region and is undertaking relevant
initiatives within the European Union.

This policy, he stated, "have promoted Greece as the primary
stabilizing factor in the sensitive Balkan region, a role which
has been internationally recognized."

He also added that Greece's dynamic presence in the region
will continue under the prism of bilateral relations, by
strengthening economic collaboration, and within the framework of
inter-Balkan cooperation, of which Greece is the visionary, as
well as through the Stability Pact, where Greece has submitted a
180-billion-drachma national plan.

Specifically, the Premier stressed that Greece focuses on the
promotion of democracy, development, stability, peace, friendship,
cooperation, understanding, good neighborliness, respect for human
and future rights, and the inviolability of borders.

Mr. Simitis also pointed out that Greek private investors are
active in Balkan countries, such as Albania, Bulgaria, FYROM,
Romania and Yugoslavia, where investments amount to USD 2.3
billion.

In regards to Greek-Hungarian bilateral relations, Mr.
Simitis said that the ties that bind the two peoples are very
strong, aided by the fact that Hungary is now Greece's ally as a
member of NATO, a relationship to be strengthened when Hungary
gains accession to the European Union.

Mr. Simitis is accompanied by government spokesman Dimitris
Reppas and Elizabeth Papazoi, alternate foreign affairs minister
in charge of European Union relations.

Greece is the 13th biggest investor in Hungary, with
investments that total $100 million. Hungarian exports to Greece
reached $73.7 million last year and imports totaled $52.9 million.

The Hellenic Parliament has ratified a Greek-Turkish maritime
accord, aiming to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the sector
of maritime trade and facilitate the development of international
sea commerce.

The accord calls for the enforcement of unhindered
competition principles, equal bilateral access to ports,
validation of all navigation documents issued either in Greece or
Turkey, accreditation of crew and passenger identifications,
emergency navigation assistance, etc.

The said accord does not apply to military or fishing
vessels, neither to vessels conducting hydrographic, oceanographic
or scientific research, nor to vessels exclusively performing
administrative or state services.

The funeral of Nikos Anastasopoulos, former undersecretary
and parliament deputy with the right-wing main opposition party of
New Democracy, who died yesterday at the age of 56, will take
place in Athens tomorrow.

New Democracy leader Kostas Karamanlis expressed his regret
for the death of Nikos Anastasopoulos.

Bank of Greece governor Loukas Papadimos appeared optimistic
over the course of inflation in the year 2001 after delivering the
Monetary Policy Council interim report on the course of the
economy to parliament president Apostolos Kaklamanis.

Mr. Papadimos stated that next year different factors will
have a positive effect on the course of inflation. The positive
factors will be the controlled increase in the labor cost, the
productivity increase and the expected budget surplus, while the
course of inflation will also be determined by the oil prices and
the US dollar-Euro exchange rate.

[12] NEW FINDINGS IN THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE OF PHILIPPI, NORTH-
EASTERN GREECE

The new findings that were unearthed by Thessaloniki's
Aristotle University archaeology students in the archaeological
site of the early Christian settlement of Philippi in north-
eastern Greece will be presented by Byzantine archaeology
professor Giorgos Gounaris, who will give a relevant lecture in
Thessaloniki's Byzantine Civilization Museum this evening.

The excavations have unearthed two two-level luxury houses
dated back to the early 4th century AD, a large part of Egnatia
Route, two service roads and a big public building with a pool.

The excavations in the specific archaeological site began in
1914 by the French Archaeology School.

Gains of 0.55% were recorded in the Athens Stock Exchange
today and the general index was at 3.230,94 points, while the
volume of transactions was small at 59.9 billion drachmas.

Of the stocks trading today, 195 recorded gains,144 had
losses and 36 remained unchanged.

[14] TSOCHATZOPOULOS: THE CONTRACT ON THE EUROFIGHTER JETS WILL BE
SIGNED IN 10 DAYS

The contract for the participation of Greece in the
consortium for the production of 4th generation Eurofighter jets
is expected to be signed in about 10 days.

The above were stated by minister of defense Akis
Tsochatzopoulos in the briefing of the National Defense and
Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee concerning the Greek armed
forces new five-year armaments plan for the period of 2000-2005.

Mr. Tsochatzopoulos reiterated that Greece participates in
the joint venture for the production of the Eurofighters and that
after the contract is signed it will participate in the consortium
with a 15% share.

Prime minister Kostas Simitis expressed his regret for the
suicide death of shipowner Pantelis Sfinias, managing director of
the Minoan Lines shipping company, the owner of the "Express
Samina" ferry-boat that sunk off the coasts of the Aegean island
of Paros. A total of 81 people lost their lives in the September
26 shipwreck.

The prime minister was informed of the tragic development
during the joint press conference he gave with his Hungarian
counterpart in Budapest.

Acting government spokesman Tilemachos Hitiris stated that
the conditions under which the suicide was committed are being
investigated.

The Greek Telecommunications Organization, OTE, subsidiary
mobile phone company COSMOTE has secured a place in the Dow Jones
STOXXSM TMI index. The decision that will be in effect on December
18 was reached in the last revision of the specific index that
takes place every three months.

The specific index covers 95% of the companies trading in
Europe and includes a total of 1.150 different shares.

New Yugoslav president Voiclav Kostunica together with prime
minister Zoran Djinjic will be on a two-day private visit to the
monastic community of Mount Athos in northern Greece on Sunday and
Monday, according to Yugoslav sources.

The two men will arrive in Thessaloniki by plane and then
they will go to Mount Athos by helicopter to visit the Hilandariou
Monastery. The two Yugoslav officials will stay in Mount Athos
until Monday afternoon when they will return to their country.

It should be noted that this short unofficial visit is not
related with the formal visit to Athens that will be made by the
Yugoslav president on December 13.

The hope that the "mad cow" disease and the Creutzfeld-Jacob
disease that affects humans, will be treated comes from
Thessaloniki, as a new method, that is still at an experimental
stage, has been developed by a Thessaloniki Aristotle University
professor and stops the progress of the two diseases.

According to an exclusive report on the Athens newspaper
"Ethnos", the long scientific research by Pharmacology professor
Theodoros Sklaviadis concerns the effective intervention that will
stop the transformation of the PrP (PRION) protein, which is
responsible for the diseases mentioned above, from normal to
pathological.

The method developed by professor Sklaviadis and his team of
researchers will be recognized at a world level in a few days and
for this reason the full conclusions of this promising research
are not made public yet.

Mr. Sklaviadis is in cooperation with research teams abroad
which have the necessary infrastructure in order to test the
method on animals. Among them is the team of researchers headed by
well-known professor Andriano Agucci in Switzerland.

It should be noted that in the "Ethnos" report is mentioned
that professor Sklaviadis' research concerns other nerve
deteriorating diseases such as, the Scrapie that appears in sheep
and the Alzheimer's disease.

The research was funded by the ministry of development in
1998 with the sum of 257.716.000 drachmas and the European program
BIOMET.

Bulgarian Orthodox Patriarch Maxim is refusing "on canonical
grounds" to extend an invitation to Pope John Paul II, even though
the country's government has repeatedly invited the Pope to visit
Bulgaria.

According to local press reports, the Bulgarian government
believes that a papal visit could amount to recognition that
Bulgaria was not involved in the 1981 attempt on John Paul II's
life. Two Bulgarian citizens were acquitted of involvement in that
attempt, due to "lack of evidence."

However, the pontiff has stated that he will accept the
invitation only if Maxim invites him as well.

Cell phones sold in the United Kingdom are to be accompanied
by government leaflets warning of the potential dangers of such
phone use, according to British health officials.

A spokeswoman for the British department of health said that
the text of the leaflet was still being finalized and the
government had not decided whether the leaflets should be
specifically handed to buyers or left for customers to pick up.

According to local press reports, all cell phones will be
sold with government health warnings to be issued ahead of the
Christmas sales rush.

The leaflet follows recommendations by a government inquiry
into the safety of cell phones that were published in May, which
stated that, while there was no evidence yet to suggest a health
risk to the whole population, early findings pointed to possible
"subtle effects" on brain function.

It recommended discouraging children from using cell phones.
The inquiry was set up after reports that radiation from the
phones could lead to cancer.

Undersecretary of national economy Yiannis Zafiropoulos, who
met in Budapest today with foreign affairs undersecretary Mr.
Balas, responsible for Hungary's international economic relations,
stated that he is satisfied with the talks he had in the Hungarian
capital.

Mr. Zafiropoulos stressed in the meeting that there is a need
to further strengthen and develop bilateral economic relations
through the Joint Ministerial Committee, while he also proposed
the signing of an economic cooperation agreement by the two sides.

Mr. Balas accepted the proposals and it was decided that the
Joint Committee of Specialists will meet in January to study the
draft agreement. As it was made known, the agreement will be
signed in Athens by March 2001 when the 1st meeting of the Joint
Ministerial Committee will take place.

Mr. Zafiropoulos also stressed that there are considerable
prospects of cooperation between the two countries.

In the Greek-Hungarian forum of businessmen, Mr. Zafiropoulos
and Mr. Balas stressed that the actions on which they reached
agreement constitute a new beginning for the further strengthening
of bilateral economic relations.

The good level of bilateral relations was confirmed in the
meeting and the two leaders stressed the need for the
strengthening of the economic cooperation and the preservation of
peace and stability in the Balkans.

Mr. Simitis pointed out that Greece supports the European
Union enlargement to include central and eastern European
countries, while Mr. Orban stated that his country backs the UN
decisions on the issue of Cyprus.

Mr. Orban stated that about 200.000 Hungarians visit Greece
every year and the new situation in Yugoslavia opens new horizons
for the two countries. He also emphasized that the Hungarian
government will back the Greek investors because they have created
good impression and are regarded as reliable partners. Mr. Orban
also called on Mr. Simitis to back Hungary's effort to become an
EU member. The Hungarian prime minister stated that his country
wants to host the Olympic Games in the future and for this reason
the preparations for the Athens 2004 Olympic Games are been
closely watched, adding that Hungary has a lot to learn from
Greece.

Mr. Simitis also met with the Hungarian president and
attended a meeting of Hungarian and Greek businessmen.